The first bicycle light ever to use smart technology to achieve effective animated turn signaling.
The use of a micro controller offers infinite flexibility in how the product behaves. Every function is embedded in software and revisions are as simple as modifying the codebase. Some of the functions under processor control are:
Unlike motorized vehicles, a blinking light on a bicycle fails to convey a movement from left to right or from right to left. The GORE SIGNAL accomplishes both by establishing a point of reference that is directionally animated toward a blinking arrow.
I realized a need for easily actuated turn signals while biking down this steep city street and needing to make a right turn midway down. With cars approaching, removing a hand from the brake lever to wave a right turn felt unsafe.
The GORE BIKE SIGNAL is engineered for versatile integration into e-powered or conventional frames.
Brand-specific requirements are readily met by the design flexibility in these options:
Three modes of actuation are offered the user, depending on the handlebar and frame form:
The GORE BIKE SIGNAL has been ridden in its prototypical form since 2014. The housing is printed and screws together from two pieces. The SolidWorks 3D files are made available at no cost and are easily modified for permanent mounting solutions, or they can be used as they are. The 3-D files are all that is needed to produce a mold. In production the lens plate would be bonded to the PCB enclosure, and no screw necessary.
If the housing is used as is, a cradle is provided which encloses the handlebar bracket and its four bolts. The ribbed battery compartment engages grooves in the cradle so that the headlight can be adjusted for optimum road spotting.
Both the front and the rear units, as they are, provide tabs for a ladder style band to wrap around the handlebar or the seat post for dependable and shock-mounted installation. The rear unit can be attached to virtually any object that provides a loop or post. The elastic bands that wrap the bar keep the unit tight in its cradle.
The headlamp is built on to the PCB and features a high lumen Cree XLamp® XM-L White LED, powered by a proprietary buck-boost driver circuit that runs cool and delivers almost all its power to the LED. The lens is a 14 degree parabolic reflector assembly that adheres to the PCB and encloses the LED. A user menu can select among several standard blink patterns, full on, or a ramp pattern that is unique to the GORE BIKE SIGNAL. This headlamp is comparable to the brightest conventional headlamps available.
In the rear unit there is a stand-alone tail light which is lit from 15 high brightness ruby-red LEDs. The user can select among several eye-catching patterns that no vehicle will fail to notice.
The front and rear units are digitally linked through a high-speed radio to form a peer-to-peer network. The GORE BIKE SIGNAL does not use Bluetooth technology. The radio protocol is engineered to be proprietary and safe from hacking.
The antenna shown here is printed onto the PCB etch. Its form factor and beam patterns were developed in conjunction with the Gonzaga U. engineering SARL lab.
On initial power-up, the front and rear units will generate encryption signatures and will exchange and save the keys to FLASH memory. That ensures the security of each pair of GORE BIKE SIGNALS. Every command that is transmitted between the units checks for the correct key.
The internet topology of the GORE SIGNAL can be configured as a star network, with a group leader in command of the upcoming turns, and the following members of the group all linked to the leader.
A police version of the GORE SIGNAL includes all the regular features of the turn signal and running lights, but with flashing blue and red patterns. In designing the police lighting, a mounted officer with the Spokane Police Dept provided technical and operational guidelines in order to comply with regulations. The police lighting is easily actuated to active or inactive states.
Two status LEDs are visible to the user in GREEN and RED. They indicate operational status and alerts. These are some of the messages the LEDs are coded to convey:
Following lists just some of the built-in features that the user can enjoy and explore while riding with the GORE BIKE SIGNAL
